The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1887-05-05


the rich sit in low place. Prov.
6.
The dignity of folly seems to be
somewhat remarkable term, yet Solo
mon knew what he was saying in the
application made Of it here. The
movements of that clumsy fowl, the
goose, have been described as ''dignifi-
edly awkward" or 1.-The dignity Of
awkwardness." And the description
seems to be good one.-But the dig
nifty Of folly strikes one as vastly
stranger than that. Dignity is a
much abused quantity, as regards its
relation to the human life and char
acter. True dignity is part of the
creation OF the man, inbred and in
woven in his life, gradually growing
and developing into beauty of char
acter which makes the man to honor
and glorify his Maker. An expert
enced eye can detect this true dignity
in man as soon as it sees him.
The dignity Of folly is what we are
to consider just now Mortal ideas
differ largely as to dignity. A young
man may strut grandly along the
principal thoroughfares, clad in
broad-cloth, and twirling tiny cane,
and imagine himself the very picture
of dignity, yet half the men he meets
may know that the neither garment,
that which lies nearest his lovely
form, is being worn at the expense of
some credulous clothier. That is the
dignity of folly. A physician may
get hold of puzzling case of cramp
collie, and after wrestling with the
pulse of the victim for ten minutes,
examining the tongue and doing
other strange and mysterious things,
declare it as his professional opinion
that the patient should have prepar-
alton of aqua, and spiritus frumenti,"
(which means dog-leg whisky and
water,) and so the dangers Of the situa-
tion are fully met. An editor may
seat himself at his desk, and fairly
tremble for the poor, helpless victim
of his keen pen, as he hurls all the
majestic power of the press, all the
great prestige of the editorial great
ness at the offender-yet that victim
will laugh himself into Mysteries at
the effort. All this is the dignity of
folly.
This world is rather a large place,
when we come to make the attempt
to look all over it, and especially to
control it all We may swell up with
the Importance of our own greatness,
and plan the lives, and make or wreck
the fortunes of our neighbors with
impunity, yet the world will move on
just as it did before, and we will be as
little known and cared for as other
conceited persons have been before.
This is great fact too often looked
over. FIattery has turned many
really good head, and made drivel-
ing idiot out of many a really bright
young man. We have known young
men under the influence Of praise
from well-wishers, to come before
public congregation and get off, as
speech. or an oration, string of
rambling nonsense that would put to
shame a child in its first pantaloons,
and strut off the stage in the full be-
lief that they had achieved the great
est triumphs of modern oratory. Yet
not a word had been said that was
remembered for fifteen minutes after
ward. Again, it was the dignity of
folly.
We have known men to talk
yoluminously upon the subject of
temperance who never made an effort
to live sober life, and men who
would glibly criticise the Christian
religion, who had never learned to
repeat the Lords Prayer. We have
known ministers to abuse their con-
gregations most villainously for an
hour, with all the dignity that could
be concentrated ed into countless frowns,
then wind up by asking the congre-
cation for a liberaLcollection for the
heathen. The dignity of folly. All
along the way of life, almost daily,
cases present themselves which fully
and wonderfully paint this great
truth-that the absence of the fool
killer is the salvation of the world.
The proverb that the rich sit in
low place may nots be so readily un-
derstood, and will scarcely be so
readily admitted. The great consum-
ing greed of this world is for wealth,
and a greedy world can see nothing
undesirable in the possession thereof.
The prevailing idea with perhaps
majority of the Christian world is
that the possession Of wealth removes
every obstacle from the human path
way-even opening the gates of
Heaven To be rich, is to be respect
ed and exalted. Such is the idea. A
greater mistake was never made. A
character made out of dollars is gen.
orally strongly alloyed with brass,
and the presence of the gold gener-
ally fattens out the soul until it be-
comes almost too thin for recogni-